Anybody that reads this blog at all, or for that matter anybody that knows me at all, knows by now I love politics. Not just because I care about the issues involved but because I love the excitement and confrontation of it. You could call me a fanatic, an enthusiast, or a devotee but for lack of finding a better synonym I'm a political junkie. For obvious reasons I hate the word but I am what I am.
Even for a political junkie these last few weeks have seen political theatre at its finest. It all started with President Obama's releasing of his birth certificate and than his mocking of Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' dinner. Than the President laughed at jokes about the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden knowing full well an operation was already in motion that would end in bin Laden's death.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's love child, Newt Gingrich in full self-immolation, and Donald Trump exiting the race with a whimper on May16th just added to the fun. The Trump exit had been predicted to the day months ago by Lawrence O'Donnell as it was the day NBC would announce its final fall schedule and the return of Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice." Than there was former Arkansas governor and ordained Baptist minister Mike Huckabee's exit from the race. Minutes before announcing he wouldn't run because 'his heart says no' Huckabee played bass to Ted Nugent's guitar in a rendition of "Cat Scratch Fever” and smiled as Nugent sang "I make the pussy purr with the stroke of my hand." This from a man who criticized Natalie Portman for being pregnant with her fiancé’s child and not having the decency to be ashamed of it. Once again well done FOX News.
I'm a lifelong Democrat who, if possible, gets more liberal and more radical as I get older. I don't understand how a woman or a gay person or anybody who isn't wealthy could be a Republican today. I take special pleasure in watching all the front running self righteous Republican presidential candidates crash and burn leaving the door open for a possible centrist candidate. Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman drew national attention in 2009 with his public support for civil unions and other rights for same-sex couples. Huntsman said “Let’s hope that someday all people are seen as equal under the laws of our land." I wouldn't vote for him but it shows there is hope.
There is always hope.
I saw this just before I finished writing this post and I wanted to share it. Michelle Obama speaking to the West Point graduating class on Saturday night, “no matter how you’ve grown up, no matter how you define family, all of you have someone in your life who believed in you and pushed you. You had someone who taught you the values and lessons that will sustain you when times get tough or you’re unsure of what’s ahead. Some of those people are here with you tonight.”
Like I said, there is always hope.
U2 - One
